FAR 61.52 — Ultralight Aeronautical Experience
FAR 61.52 explains how (before Jan 31, 2012) ultralight flight time could count toward sport pilot, flight instructor, and certain private pilot ratings.
In Plain English
FAR 61.52 allowed pilots to credit flight time logged in ultralight vehicles toward certain FAA certificates and ratings — but only if that experience was obtained before January 31, 2012. After that date, ultralight time can no longer be used to meet Part 61 requirements.
Before the cutoff, ultralight experience could count toward:
- A sport pilot certificate
- A flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating
- A private pilot certificate with a weight-shift-control or powered parachute category rating
- The additional pilot requirements of § 61.69 (towing gliders/unpowered ultralights)
To use that time, the pilot had to:
- Be a registered ultralight pilot with an FAA-recognized ultralight organization when the time was flown
- Log the experience per both that organization's rules and the pilot logging rules in § 61.51
- Obtain the time in a category and class matching the rating sought
- Provide the FAA a certified copy of ultralight pilot records showing registration and recognized category/class privileges
Operationally, this rule mattered most during the transition when sport pilot rules were introduced — it gave experienced ultralight pilots a path into the FAA certification system.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 61.52§ 61.52 Use of aeronautical experience obtained in ultralight vehicles.
(a) Before January 31, 2012, a person may use aeronautical experience obtained in an ultralight vehicle to meet the requirements for the following certificates and ratings issued under this part:
(1) A sport pilot certificate.
(2) A flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating;
(3) A private pilot certificate with a weight-shift-control or powered parachute category rating.
(b) Before January 31, 2012, a person may use aeronautical experience obtained in an ultralight vehicle to meet the provisions of § 61.69.
(c) A person using aeronautical experience obtained in an ultralight vehicle to meet the requirements for a certificate or rating specified in paragraph (a) of this section or the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section must—
(1) Have been a registered ultralight pilot with an FAA-recognized ultralight organization when that aeronautical experience was obtained;
(2) Document and log that aeronautical experience in accordance with the provisions for logging aeronautical experience specified by an FAA-recognized ultralight organization and in accordance with the provisions for logging pilot time in aircraft as specified in § 61.51;
(3) Obtain the aeronautical experience in a category and class of vehicle corresponding to the rating or privilege sought; and
(4) Provide the FAA with a certified copy of his or her ultralight pilot records from an FAA-recognized ultralight organization, that —
(i) Document that he or she is a registered ultralight pilot with that FAA-recognized ultralight organization; and
(ii) Indicate that he or she is recognized to operate the category and class of aircraft for which sport pilot privileges are sought.
[Docket FAA-2001-11133, 69 FR 44865, July 27, 2004, as amended by Amdt. 61-125, 75 FR 5220, Feb. 1, 2010]
Read the reg? Now prove it
Would you catch these on the written?
Five FAA-written-style questions. Instant explanations, every answer cites its source — no account needed.
Live demo · no account needed
1/5
You are flying VFR in Class E airspace at 8,500 feet MSL during the day. What are your minimum visibility and cloud clearance requirements?
PPL5 sample questions — in the app, the drill engine covers 88 PPL topics and every answer cites its source
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1Can a student today use ultralight flight hours toward a sport pilot certificate?
No. Under FAR 61.52, ultralight aeronautical experience could only be applied toward Part 61 certificates if it was obtained before January 31, 2012.
Q2Which certificates and ratings could ultralight experience be applied toward under FAR 61.52?
Per FAR 61.52(a), ultralight time could count toward a sport pilot certificate, a flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating, and a private pilot certificate with a weight-shift-control or powered parachute category rating, plus the requirements of § 61.69.
Q3What documentation did a pilot have to provide the FAA to use ultralight time toward a rating?
FAR 61.52(c)(4) required a certified copy of the pilot's ultralight records from an FAA-recognized ultralight organization showing they were a registered ultralight pilot and recognized to operate the category and class of aircraft sought.
Ultralight credit audit
FAR 61.52 ultralight experience cutoff and records
Source checked: 14 CFR § 61.52; Last verified: 2026-05-31; date_retrieved: 2026-05-31.
§61.52 is not a broad "ultralight time counts" rule. It is a legacy transition rule with a hard January 31, 2012 cutoff, a narrow list of certificate paths, and a records packet requirement. For airplane private-pilot applicants, use §61.109 for the current hour requirements.
| Credit path named in §61.52 | Cutoff | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Sport pilot certificate | Experience had to be obtained before January 31, 2012 | This was a transition bridge for registered ultralight pilots, not a current way to build sport-pilot time. |
| Flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating | Experience had to be obtained before January 31, 2012 | The credit was limited to the sport-pilot instructor pathway, not a standard CFI airplane route. |
| Private pilot with weight-shift-control or powered parachute rating | Experience had to be obtained before January 31, 2012 | This does not reduce the airplane-category private-pilot aeronautical experience in §61.109. |
Checkride trap
If the time was not obtained before January 31, 2012, §61.52 does not help. Do not brief it as a current way to convert ultralight time into airplane private-pilot aeronautical experience.
Record packet in §61.52(c)
- Registered ultralight pilot status with an FAA-recognized ultralight organization when the time was obtained
- Logged ultralight experience under that organization plus pilot-time logging under §61.51
- Category and class of vehicle corresponding to the rating or privilege sought
- Certified ultralight-pilot records supplied to the FAA
Related study pages
FAR §61.51Pilot logbook rules referenced by the ultralight-credit record requirement.FAR §61.69The glider and unpowered ultralight towing rule named in §61.52(b).FAR §61.109Private-pilot airplane experience requirements that §61.52 does not replace.Private pilot requirementsUse the current PPL pathway for airplane-category eligibility and hours.
§61.52 questions students ask
Q1What does 14 CFR §61.52 say about ultralight experience?
§61.52 describes a closed transition rule. It allowed qualifying ultralight experience obtained before January 31, 2012 to count toward specific sport-pilot, sport-pilot instructor, weight-shift-control, powered-parachute, and §61.69 towing paths.
Q2Can ultralight hours count toward a private pilot airplane certificate today?
No. §61.52 does not create a current shortcut for the airplane-category private pilot certificate. A student pilot still needs the applicable airplane aeronautical experience in §61.109.
Q3Why does FAR 61.52 still appear if the January 31, 2012 cutoff passed?
The section remains in Part 61 because it defines how legacy ultralight records could be credited when the transition rule applied, including the documentation the FAA required.
Studying for a checkride?
§61.113 Privileges & Limits
Private pilot compensation, pro-rata sharing, and BasicMed limits
§61.57 Recent Flight Experience
90-day passenger, night, and instrument currency rules
§61.89 Student Pilot Limitations
Solo student limits: no passengers, no compensation, minimum visibility
§61.51 Pilot Logbooks
Logging training, aeronautical experience, and recency for certificates
§61.23 Medical Certificate Duration
First-, second-, and third-class medical requirement and validity periods
Instrument Rating Requirements
IFR eligibility and aeronautical experience
Related Sections in Part 61